08/11/2021 15:59
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 08/11/2021 3:59 PM
Among smartphones, tablets and video game consoles, there are
traditional toys that have changed little over the years and that continue to fight
.
They are not "smart" or electronic, but they sell.
And these days, they are chosen by many parents to give away on Children's Day.
From the Toy Chamber they revealed to
Clarín
what is selling the most this week.
The three toys that beat the screens are
the "baby" dolls, the didactic games for early childhood and the UNO and DOS card games.
The list goes on with board games, kitchen sets, tricycles and walkers, accessory modeling doughs, skateboards, slime guns and toy pochocleras.
The babies are a classic and are not replaced by a screen.
Photo Lucia Merle
When choosing gifts, people are not only guided by the type of toy but also by
the prices
, especially in the context of an economic crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.
It is not easy to choose a toy.
There is a lot of offer and also very different prices.
However, faced with this variety, there are always those products that stand out from the rest, either because they are fashionable, because they are educational or simply because they are more accessible.
In each toy store they have
their own list of "best sellers
", as
Clarín
found
in a tour.
In Santa Claus, a place that is in Mendoza at 5000, Villa Urquiza, they assured that people are taking "Lol dolls, unicorns, the famous Popits and also different products related to the educational development of children."
The Santa Claus toy store, in Villa Urquiza.
Photo Lucia Merle
In another large toy store in Urquiza, on Triunvirato, they said that
early childhood products
are the ones that are being sold the most.
"They are the ones that people take the most. Also the slime. For boys between seven and ten years old, parents buy educational board games and also the occasional educational game."
The prices of toys start at $ 400 and, in the case of skateboards -one of the most sought after options-, those of national manufacture start at $ 2,500.
Board games are another well-selling classic.
Photo Lucia Merle
As for how people pay in the midst of a fierce economic crisis, the toymakers consulted assured that
the vast majority buy in installments
.
"In all that I can. What comes out the most are the three interest-free installments," they said.
Faced with this problem, and in the middle of the electoral year, the national government tries to boost consumption with the expansion of the Now 12 program.
"The Now 12 and 18 program is boosting sales a lot. Toys can be bought in
up to 18 installments without interest
and that allows access to higher value products such as
skateboards or tricycles
, which are selling well," said the president of the Argentine Chamber of the Toy Industry (CAIJ), Emmanuel Poletto.
The businessman also assured that, in terms of sales, they are already
"above last year
.
"
He added that "the expectation is to exceed the sales levels of 2019."
And he clarified that the toy industry comes from a low floor: "Since 2018, when the recession began, which punished us during that year and also in 2019."
The Santa Claus toy store, in Villa Urquiza, prepared for sales for Children's Day.
Photo Lucia Merle
"The
national toy
today is cheaper than the imported one," Poletto emphasized. "The pandemic had a strong impact on import freight, the cost of maritime freight increased fivefold and that makes the national toy an opportunity at this time. That is why , today it represents 40% of the market and, for next year, the idea is to recover the 50% that we had until 2015 ",
From the Chamber they assured that
the average ticket for spending
on gifts for Children's Day will be defined in the coming days, because
many purchases are made at the last minute
.
"We can anticipate that in neighborhood
toy
stores
where 50% national toys and 50% imported toys are offered, the ticket is
around $ 1,000 per toy - they
estimated -. At those values, the payment is made in cash or at most in 3 installments. When These are higher value purchases, such as skateboards, tricycles, metegoles or slides, payments are made in up to 18 installments with a significant use of the Now 12 Program, which accounts for 75% of credit card transactions ".
In some toy stores they offer discounts of up to 50%.
Photo Lucia Merle
Children's Day represents
60% of the sector's annual sales
, while the annual balance is completed with the end of the year season, when the Christmas and kings celebrations generate another 35%.
On the street, there are toymakers who say that
sales improved this year compared to 2020
, but they point out that there is still a long way to go to reach the normal levels that the sector enjoyed in better times.
"Things are improving little by little. This week we had good sales because Children's Day is coming. But people buy much more accessible toys. They don't play for more expensive products," said Cristina, from a local in Villa Pueyrredón .
Sales at toy stores improved over last year.
Photo Lucia Merle
Pedro, the owner of another toy store in Urquiza, assured that "most of those who come to buy use the government's financing plan because, otherwise, they will not give them the money. This is true. Furthermore, this year it improved. but you have to compare it with last year, when we were underground. "
Parents also think twice about paying for a toy.
"I have three children, and I have to give each one a toy as a gift. Imagine the budget that that means," Susana commented while looking for options at a local in Saavedra. "
Without the fees, I couldn't buy anything.
It's all very expensive."
NS
Look also
Children's Day 2021: how toy rental works and how much it costs per month